From Chinese Restaurant Dishwasher to U.S. Treasury: Mitchell Silk’s Unlikely American Story

Former U.S. Treasury Assistant Secretary Mitchell Silk joins J100 for an in-person conversation about his extraordinary path from working in Chinese restaurants as a teenager to becoming a senior American official involved in China trade negotiations, global finance, infrastructure, fintech, and CARES Act relief.

Silk reflects on his Hasidic identity, his grandfather’s influence, his years in Asia-focused law and finance, his work at the Treasury Department, the future of U.S.-China relations, Israel’s economic importance, antisemitism in financial markets, digital currency, and his new book A Seat at the Table.

Chapters

00:00 Israel, America, and Economic Opportunity

01:22 Introduction

04:04 From Chinese Restaurant to China Expert

10:09 Law School, China, and Early Career

15:00 Jewish Identity and Hasidic Roots

19:09 Being Observant in Big Law

22:35 Energy, Infrastructure, and Innovation

31:29 The Path to Treasury

37:48 U.S.-China Relations and Trade

46:29 Inside the Treasury Department

49:10 Israel, Fintech, and the Abraham Accords

50:46 U.S.-Israel Relations and Financial Antisemitism

55:24 Digital Currency and the U.S. Dollar

57:44 Why He Wrote A Seat at the Table

You can find the condensed transcript & summary of this episode and more episodes at

https://open.substack.com/pub/thealgemeiner/p/from-chinese-restaurant-dishwasher?r=5m0oyd&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web&showWelcomeOnShare=true

This episode of "The J100 Podcast" was produced by David Taragin.

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